m the eaves, or the
sighing of the night wind around the gables and through the naked
windows of the castle.

The lid of the great dough trough was softly raised, and a face, black
with soot, peeped cautiously out from under it. Then little by little
arose a figure as black as the face; and One-eyed Hans stepped out upon
the floor, stretching and rubbing himself.

"Methinks I must have slept," he muttered. "Hui, I am as stiff as a new
leather doublet, and now, what next is to become of me? I hope my luck
may yet stick to me, in spite of this foul black soot!"

Along the middle of the front of the great hall of the castle, ran a
long stone gallery, opening at one end upon the court-yard by a high
flight of stone steps. A man-at-arms in breast-plate and steel cap, and
bearing a long pike, paced up and down the length of this gallery, now
and then stopping, leaning over the edge, and gazing up into the starry
sky above; then, with a long drawn yawn, lazily turning back to the
monotonous watch again.

A dark figure crept out from an arched doorway at the lower part of the
long straight building, and some little distance below the end gallery,
but the sentry saw nothing of it, for his back was turned. As silently
and as stealthily as a cat the figure crawled along by the dark shadowy
wall, now and then stopping, and then again creeping slowly forward
toward the gallery where the man-at-arms moved monotonously up and down.
It was One-eyed Hans in his bare feet.

Inch by inch, foot by foot--the black figure crawled along in the angle
of the wall; inch by inch and foot by foot, but ever nearer and nearer
to the long straight row of stone steps that led to the covered gallery.
At last it crouched at the lowest step of the flight. Just then the
sentinel upon watch came to the very end of the gallery and stood there
leaning upon his spear. Had he looked down below he could not have
failed to have seen One-eyed Hans lying there motionlessly; but he was
gazing far away over the steep black roofs beyond, and never saw the
unsuspected presence. Minute after minute passed, and the one stood
there looking out into the night and the other lay crouching by the
wall; then with a weary sigh the sentry turned and began slowly pacing
back again toward the farther end of the gallery.

Instantly the motionless figure below arose and glided noiselessly and
swiftly up the flight of steps.

Two rude stone pillars flanked either side of the